Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 14, 2023

'Time's finally up': Impending Iceland eruption is part of centuries-long volcanic pulse

Iceland's potentially imminent eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity that will likely cause eruptions for centuries, scientists say. Time's finally up, Edward W. Marshall, a researcher at the University of Iceland's Nordic Volcanological Center, told Live Science in an email. We can...

Nov 15, 2023

Supervolcano 'megabeds' discovered at bottom of sea point to catastrophic events in Europe every 10,000 to 15,000 years

Huge megabeds from ancient supervolcano eruptions are hiding at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, researchers have found. Their discovery points to a cycle of catastrophic events that appear to hit the region every 10,000 to 15,000 years. Megabeds are huge submarine deposits that form in marine basins as a...

Nov 16, 2023

Why is Iceland so volcanically active? A geologist explains

Thousands of earthquakes in recent weeks have shaken the Icelandic fishing town of Grindavík, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of the capital Reykjavik. They have triggered evacuations and warnings that a volcanic eruption may be imminent. While the idea of magma rising was no doubt scary for tourists visiting...

Nov 16, 2023

What will happen if the Iceland volcano finally erupts?

To keep up with the latest developments about the impending eruption, check out our live updates page. Officials in Iceland are preparing for an imminent volcanic eruption from a submerged tunnel of magma, which could unleash superhot lava flows on nearby towns, a vital power plant and an iconic tourist...

Nov 17, 2023

Iceland volcano could burst like a 'fizzy drink,' with lava reaching Blue Lagoon resort in days

The risk of a volcanic eruption in Iceland is not diminishing, and — if a fissure does open — lava could reach the Blue Lagoon resort and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant in just days, an expert says. The magma in the 9.3-mile-long (15 kilometers) magma dike, a near-vertical underground...

Nov 22, 2023

'It may take more time': Risk of eruption from Iceland volcano still high, with ground 'continuing to swell'

The risk of a volcanic eruption on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula is still very high, with ground deformation and earthquakes continuing along the magma dike — a near-vertical underground tunnel running from a magma chamber towards Earth's surface. The 9.3-mile (15 kilometers) magma dike is located between Sundhnúk in the northeast...

Dec 1, 2023

Enormous hydrothermal vent field with ancient, 50-foot tall chimneys discovered near underwater volcano

Scientists have discovered a giant field of hydrothermal vents towering as high over the seabed as a four story building and spewing plumes of hot liquid near the Galápagos Islands. A research team was on a 30-day expedition off the coast of Ecuador when they detected clusters of ancient chimneys...

Dec 1, 2023

Japan's new volcanic island has erupted again — and the dramatic explosion was caught on camera

An underwater volcano that recently gave birth to a new island in the Pacific has erupted again, sending plumes of ash and smoke into the sky, footage released by the Japan Coast Guard shows. The volcano, which sits off the coast of Japan's Iwo Jima island in the southern part...

Dec 7, 2023

What is a supervolcano? The answer isn't so simple.

Few volcanoes on Earth boast the fantastical title of supervolcano, but what makes these uber volcanoes so super, and is the superlative always justified? It very much depends on who you ask. A supervolcano is a volcano that has produced at least one supereruption, meaning that at some point in...

Dec 7, 2023

Underwater volcano riding a sinking tectonic plate may have unleashed major earthquakes in Japan

An ancient underwater volcano riding a sinking tectonic plate off the coast of Japan may have unleashed several unexplained major earthquakes — by grinding against another tectonic plate above it, a new study finds. The extinct underwater volcano, known as Daiichi-Kashima seamount, sits on the Pacific tectonic plate roughly 25...

Dec 18, 2023

Iceland volcano erupts as thousands of people evacuate

To keep up with the latest developments about the Iceland eruption, check out our live updates page. A volcano in Iceland is now erupting after weeks of earthquakes rocking the region, according to a statement released by the Iceland Met Office (IMO) on Monday (Dec. 18). The eruption is happening...

Dec 19, 2023

Iceland volcano spewing enough lava to fill an Olympic swimming pool in 20 seconds

A volcano erupting on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland has opened a 2.5-mile-long (4 kilometers) fissure that appears to have stabilized and is spewing a curtain of lava, experts say. The eruption began on Monday (Dec. 18) at 10:17 p.m. local time (5:17 p.m. EST Eastern Time) following an hour-long...

Dec 19, 2023

Tonga volcano eruption was fueled by 2 merging chambers that are still brimming with magma

Almost two years after a humongous eruption rocked Tonga's Hunga volcano in the southwest Pacific Ocean, scientists have finally mapped the huge magma plumbing system that gave birth to the record-breaking blast. On Jan. 15, 2022, a volcano beneath the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai exploded with such force it...

Dec 20, 2023

Breathtaking photos show wall of lava erupting from volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula

The seismic activity on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula finally erupted in spectacular fashion on Monday (Dec. 18), when after weeks of unrest, a fissure stretching 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) appeared at the surface and spewed a wall of lava up to 100 feet (30 meters) high in some places. The initial...

Jan 15, 2024

Iceland volcano: Situation in Grindavík has 'become very bleak' following new eruption

A volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula has resumed erupting after a four-week hiatus, with new fissures opening near the town of Grindavík, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) announced Sunday (Jan. 14). The eruption followed an intense series of earthquakes that began around 3:00 a.m. local time in the Sundhnúksgígar area...